Electromagnetically-operated railway-switch.



No. 647,932. Patented Apr. 24, |900.

F. E. BALDWIN..

ELECTRUMAGNETICALLY UPERATEUBAILWAY SWITCH.

' (Application led Dec. 12, 1899.) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES FREDERIC E. BALDWIN, on NEw'YoRK, N. Y.

LECTROIVIAGNETICALLY-OPERATED RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,932, dated April24, 1900.

Application iiled December l2, 1899. Serial No. 740.0316. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom zit may concern.-

Beit known that I, FREDERIC E. BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, (New Brightom) in the county of Richmond and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectromagnetically-Operated Railway-Switches,

' of which the following is a specification, refmagnet energized.

erence being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of thesame.

Railway-switches have heretofore been operated automaticallyby anapproaching car through the instrumentality of electromagnets and otherforms of mechanism, and in the particular form of switch upon which mypresent invention is an improvement one, or usually two, electromagnetshave been combined or connected withl a movable switch? have a defect inthe uncertainty of their operation, due to the amount of work whichtheelectromagnets are or may be called upon to perform, to reduce which toa minimum I pivot the switch-tongue so that its free end -Inay have aslight vertical play, and under the tongue, in a suitable box or case, Iarrange a vertical rod mounted on. a knife-edge and extending up througha slot in the top of the box, above Which it engages with the tonguenear the free end of the latter. The shifting of the switch-tongue iseffected by the oscillation lof the rod through the instrumentality ofthe two solenoids and cores placed on opposite sides of the rod andconnected therewith or by two electromagnets that act upon an armaturewhich is carried by the rod. In order, however, that the rod may form asupport for the tongue which will raise its end off from its bed andthat at the same time it may not have to sustain the weight of a car orany other vehicle that passes over the tongue, it is made extensible byone part or section telescoping with the other and combined with aspring of a strength slightly` greater than is necessary to sustain theweight of the tongue when held in its tilted or elevated position. Apressure on the tongue therefore sufficient to overcome the force of thespring brings the tongue down upon its bed, which then sustains theweight imposed upon it.

From the nature of the invention above described itis evident that myimproved switchtongue or mounting therefor is' useful with other meansthan electromagnets for shifting it, and my improvement includes thecombination of such a switch-tongue with any de-;

vices for .throwing or shifting it, whether these be electricalor-mechanical.v

vIn the drawings hereto annexed, Figure If c is a plan view of a sectionof track, my improved switch, and the circuit connections necessary forits operation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the box containing theswitchof an ordinaryswitch. The tongue is pivoted l in a suitablemannerfat C, so'that its free end may be capable of `a limited play in avertical plane. Beneath the pivoted tongue is a box or casing D withsuitable provision fordrainage and for access to its interior, as isusual in such cases. In said box is a rod E, resting upon a knife-edgeor similar support F and extending up through a slot G in the top of thebox. The main portion ofthe rod terminates in a socket H, in which fitsthe short stem J. Between the socket H and a collar K on the stem .I isa coiled spring L, that tends to raise the stem out of the socket. Theend of the stem J enters a recess in the underside of the tongue B or isotherwise connected therewith near its free end, and the spring L keepsthe end of the tongue raised slightly above its bed.

M N are two electromagnets or solenoids with movable cores that areplaced on opposite sides of the rod E and when energized oscillate it toone side or the other, and thereby shift the tongue B.

Two circuits O P run from contact-plates R, set in any desired positionalongside the track, through the two magnets, respectively, to ground.As a car approaches the switch IOO the motornian by depressing one oftwo contacts with Which the car is provided closes through the desiredcontact-plate the circuit to the approximate electromagnet and operatesthe switch accordingly.

When a car or other vehicle passes over the tongue, it issimply forceddown upon its bed, as above explained, and merely compresses the springL Without injury or impairing the switch mechanism. Y

, Having now described my invention, what I claim is l. The combinationwith a pivoted switchtongue of an oscillating elastic support for saidtongue which is adapted to raise its free end from its bed, and meansfor oscillating the said support and thereby shifting the switch-tongue,as set forth.

2. The combination with a pivoted switchtongue of an oscillating elasticsupport connected with the tongue and normally raising its free end fromits bed,`of electromagnets for acting upon and oscillating said supporti

